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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · stock · vault · spring · rush · temple · mine · field

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — hurry
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — goods
  12. spring — of water
  13. vault — a safe
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. field — farmland
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. spring — the season
  21. march — music
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. march — the month
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com